Mayer & Cie. draws balance: Concessions for 2017, new plans for 2018

14.03.2018

With 105 million euro, sales numbers of the Mayer Group for 2017 are almost identical to those of the previous year. It was due to an extensive and complicated system changeover that this figure fell short of the company’s expectations. In summer 2017, a new ERP-system went into operation after several years of preparation. That led to problems in the production flow, with almost completed machines could not be delivered to the customer because parts were not available at the required time. That is why the company is dozens of machines behindhand, which definitely led to results that could have been much better. Yet, Benjamin Mayer, Managing Director of Mayer & Cie. is convinced that they have now largely put the initial difficulties behind them. “We expect to be back in calmer waters after our system changeover and to be able to slowly but surely work off our backlog of machines. Capacities are available and we are convinced that we can work more efficiently with our new system than before.” Thanks to the fact that both market situation and order numbers continue to be positive, Mayer & Cie. expects to reach its goals again in 2018.

Apart from bustling business as usual in circular knitting, another round but new machine will keep the Mayer team busy in 2018. This is talking about braiding machines for the manufacture of hose tubing. So far, they have been produced by a sister company, Mayer Industries in South Carolina. As Mayer Industries is to be wound up in the medium term, these machines’ production will move to Albstadt in 2019. There, preparations are in full swing. Space, personnel capacities and production line have to be available and in place in the year to come. Benjamin Mayer explains the decision: “For us the integration of this technically related product is a good opportunity to develop an additional mainstay that is independent of our core business. We have repeatedly opted for diversification in past decades and had good experiences with it."